This organisation will pay you to drink red wine

Benjamin Franklin famously said that “wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”

And, to be honest, there aren’t many wine lovers out there who’d disagree with him – although there’s no denying that our thirst for top quality vino can leave our purses feeling a lot lighter come the end of our weekly shopping trip.

Which is why we were very excited to learn that Northumbria University aren’t just offering out free wine; they’re willing to pay us to drink it, too.

The Brain, Performance, and Nutrition Research Centre are planning to conduct a new study into the health benefits of red wine, looking at the effects a particular compound has on the brain.

They are hoping that this trial will prove their theory that red wine boosts our mental functions.

Timothy Eschle, the PhD student leading the study, explained to ITV News: “There are a number of benefits to consuming red grapes.

"A specific extract from the skin of red grapes, resveratrol, has been found to increase blood flow to the brain and in some cases, increase mental performance on cognitive tasks.”

They're investigating the health benefits of red wine

He continued: “Most studies have been carried out in young adults at the peak of their cognitive abilities, thus the benefits of resveratrol are expected to be more prominent in older adults who may suffer a slight natural decline in certain aspects of mental function such as memory and reaction time.

“We also want to establish whether resveratrol can affect mental function at altitude, which often impacts on people’s performance.”

Eschle and his team are now looking for healthy men and women aged between either 18-35 or 50-70 years to take part in two similar studies.

If you’re intrigued, it’s worth knowing that you will be treated to good-quality red wine (along with all of its wholesome healthsome goodness) – and you will also be paid £30 for your time.

Better still, of course, is the fact that you will be part of a very important scientific investigation: we will finally be able to say, without a shadow of a doubt, that we do need that glass of red wine at dinner.

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Kayleigh Dray

Kayleigh Dray is editor of Stylist.co.uk, where she chases after rogue apostrophes and specialises in films, comic books, feminism and television. On a weekend, you can usually find her drinking copious amounts of tea and playing boardgames with her friends.